What is "imbrication"

Imbrication \Im`bri*ca"tion\, n. [Cf. F. imbrication.] An overlapping of the edges, like that of tiles or shingles; hence, intricacy of structure; also, a pattern or decoration representing such a structure.

1640s, from French imbrication, from Latin imbricare "to cover with tiles," from imbricem (nominative imbrex) "curved roof tile used to draw off rain," from imber (genitive imbris) "rain," from PIE *ombh-ro- "rain" (cognates: Sanskrit abhra "cloud, thunder-cloud, rainy weather," Greek ombros "rain"), from root *nebh- "moist, water" (see nebula).

n. 1 a set of tiles or shingles that overlap like the scales of a fish 2 (context medicine English) overlapping of layers of tissue in wound closure or correctional surgery 3 (context geology English) a sedimentary deposition in which small, flat stones are tiled in the same direction so that they overlap.

n. covering with a design in which one element covers a part of another (as with tiles or shingles) [syn: overlapping, lapping]

Imbrication is the arrangement of planar bodies such that they stack in a consistent fashion - rather like a toppled run of dominoes.

• In roofing, imbrication is employed in the Imbrex and tegula system.
• Imbrication (sedimentology).
• Imbrication (linguistics), a morphophonological phenomenon

In sedimentology imbrication refers to a primary depositional fabric consisting of a preferred orientation of clasts such that they overlap one another in a consistent fashion, rather like a run of toppled dominoes. Imbrication is observed in conglomerates and some volcaniclastic deposits.

Imbrication is a phenomenon occurring in many Bantu languages in which morphemes interweave in certain morphophonological conditions.

For example, consider the Setswana verb root -rek-a ("buy"). The passive voice is formed by adding the extension -w- to produce -rek-w-a. The perfect is formed by adding the morpheme -ile to produce -rek-ile. But when these are combined to produce the perfect form of the passive voice, the verb becomes -rek-il-w-e, with the perfect morpheme split into two pieces, rather than the expected *-rek-w-ile.